Con Edison Working To Restore Power Following Manhole Fire In Brooklyn

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Residents in a Brooklyn neighborhood spent Sunday night in the dark and in the cold after two manhole fires caused a power outage.

Utility crews were still in Clinton Hill working on repairs early Monday afternoon, CBS2’s Aundrea Cline-Thomas reported.

Flames were already spewing out of two manholes at Myrtle and Grand avenues by the time firefighters arrived at 10 p.m. on Sunday. No one was injured, but it caused power outages to more than 150 customers.

“It was horrible. It’s cold and we just lit a ton of candles and played cards because that is all we could do,” Grand Avenue resident Idalia Kaplan said.

Manhole fires in the Clinton Hill section of Brooklyn on Jan. 13, 2019, knocked out power for more than 100 customers. (Photo: CBS2)

Con Edison crews worked through the night, going from manhole to manhole to conduct repairs. But the job took longer than expected.

“I definitely thought it would be up and running by this morning, but I guess not,” Grand Avenue resident Spender Bogar said.

Many residents who live on Grand Avenue woke up Monday with no electricity or heat, and some didn’t have hot water.

“I managed to shower before everything happened last night, so we still had hot water,” Anna Klimczuk said. “But my boyfriend went down to the gym. He’s just going to shower there after his morning workout and get ready there.”

Con Ed indicated the manhole fires were caused by defective cables. Crews had to replace them and also fix any other damage that was caused.

“I think it’s probably better that it happened on a Sunday night because we don’t have to be in the house all day today. We are going off to work,” Klimczuk said.

It was an especially cold night for Kaplan, who fears crews will still be working when she returns home.

“I’m dreading going back to my room after going to the gym. It’s going to be tough,” Kaplan said.

According to its website, Con Ed plans to restore power by 1 p.m., but those estimations changed multiple times Monday morning.